The ground heaved beneath Ana and Caden’s feet as they burst from the splintering remains of the tavern into a storm of hellfire and claws. Demons lunged from shattered doorways, eyes glowing with malice, while acrid smoke coiled around timbered homes and the panicked cries of villagers rent the air. A hulking fiend blocked their path, its fanged maw wide in anticipation, but Ana was ready. Her dual blades sang from their sheaths, cutting an arc of deadly grace that froze the beast mid-leap. Caden stumbled beside her, clutching a jagged plank, his youthful boldness a stark contrast to the horror that surrounded them. The chaos was absolute—a living nightmare of flickering lamplight and grotesque shadows, where the very walls seemed to close in with menacing intent.

“Watch it, hero,” Ana barked as Caden lurched forward, a clawed hand sweeping dangerously close to his shoulder.

He flinched, tripping over the cobblestones, but Ana was already moving. She intercepted the demon with a fierce Strike, her blade infused with energy. The beast flew back, crashing through a wooden cart that exploded into kindling.

Caden picked himself up, eyes wide as saucers, breath ragged with panic and exertion. “I-I’m okay,” he panted, clinging to his makeshift club as if it were a lifeline.

“Try staying that way,” Ana retorted, her words clipped but not unkind. She spun, striking at another fiend, her movements a fluid dance of lethal precision. Each demon fell beneath her blades, their snarls silenced mid-roar by the deadly elegance of her attacks.

More demons appeared, emerging from smoking ruins and burning stalls. Their ranks seemed endless, an unholy legion set on devastation. Ana fought strategically, cutting through them with a seasoned warrior’s instinct, while Caden struggled to keep up. His fear and inexperience showed in his hesitant swings, his wooden plank glancing off demon hides with little effect.

“Focus!” Ana shouted, dispatching a nearby threat with ruthless efficiency. Her presence was a beacon in the madness, drawing Caden back into the fray when the terror threatened to overwhelm him.

The chaos only intensified as demons multiplied, their grotesque forms casting monstrous shadows in the flickering light. Ana’s movements were graceful and controlled. She sidestepped attacks with an agility born of elven heritage and hard-won experience, while Caden stumbled and backpedaled, his strikes wild and desperate.

A sudden shift caught Ana's eye—a dozen identical demons leapt into view, each a perfect replica of the other. They moved with frightening synchronicity, advancing in a relentless wave.

“They’re multiplying!” Caden yelled, swinging frantically.

Ana’s gaze sharpened with realization. “No...only one is,” she muttered, teeth clenched. Her doubts were confirmed when the creatures spoke in unison, their voices a layered growl that carried above the chaos.

“I am Braldak, the Multiplier!” The name echoed ominously, each copy pounding its chest in declaration.

The clones closed in, their shrill laughter taunting. “You are outnumbered, you pathetic elf! Surrender and die!”

Ana’s eyes blazed with defiance, and she tightened her grip on her blades. “You talk too much,” she retorted, charging into the horde.

In front of the tavern, a massive demon hurled a group of fleeing villagers into the building. As it heaved them towards the building, its muscles strained and bulged in the flickering light of the burning stalls.

They crashed through the wooden door, splintering the wall. Shards of wood flying in all directions, while the villagers' bodies are tossed like ragdolls, their bones snapping from the force of impact. The crashing echoes as the villagers are thrown into the tavern, accompanied by the sound of their limbs shattering upon impact.

Caden’s heart stopped as he recognized those faces. Marta, the baker’s wife, lay crumpled near the wreckage, her kind eyes closed, apron stained with soot. She had always greeted him with warm smiles and sweeter pastries, listening to his eager stories with patient interest. Not far from her sprawled Gunther, the smith. His massive frame looked impossibly small beneath the debris, still and motionless. The last time Caden had seen him was through a haze of tears as Gunther tossed him out of the stables for sneaking in.

Others lay motionless where they landed, while others screamed in agony as they tried desperately to crawl to safety. The demon’s monstrous laughter filled the air. Helpless children clung to the skirts of their mothers, their eyes wide with fear and incomprehension. The scorching heat from the blazing stalls poured into the tavern, turning it into a fiery snare.

The demon roared in triumph, its hulking silhouette framed by flames as it advanced on its dazed victims.

Amidst the chaos, a faint clattering can be heard as a worn sword is revealed from the rubble.

Ana’s eyes darted to the destruction, her focus briefly broken. “Caden!” she shouted, jerking her head towards his prize.

Motivated by her distraction, Balduk lunged at Ana, its clawed fist catching her squarely in the side.

Braldak’s voice thundered again. “I am the most powerful among this legion! The others are nothing compared to me!”

She staggered, pain exploding through her ribs as she slashed back with raw fury, cleaving it in two.

The demon collapsed, its form dissolving into smoke. A clone. She steeled herself, realizing she was closing in on the true Braldak.

His laughter cut through her thoughts. “You cannot win!” he sneered, his clones launching a renewed assault.

Ana ducked under another lunge, blades arcing with fierce efficiency as she carved through the advancing threats. Each fallen demon vanished into dark mist, leaving behind only the tension of battle and the relentless chant of Braldak’s voice.

Caden hesitated, torn between seizing the moment and the chaos surrounding them. A roar jolted him into action, and he dashed for the ruined structure, dodging debris as demons converged on his path.

He swung at a looming figure, missing by inches. The demon retaliated, claws swiping across Caden’s chest. He fell back, gasping, but Ana was there. Her blade flashed, and the creature dissolved into ash, leaving Caden trembling in its wake.

"Get a grip on yourself," Ana commanded, her voice sharp and full of urgency rather than reprimand as she parried off yet another enemy.

Caden nodded, face pale but resolute. “I’m tryingh—!” he shouted over the clamor.

His voice broke as another copy slammed into him, flinging him across the debris-strewn ground and leaving him breathless. The world spun in a haze of fire and pain.

Caden's vision fought to focus through the blur, finally locking onto the battered sword nearby.

A sob. Barely audible over the burning timbers. A little girl, small and trembling, huddled behind a half-collapsed beam.

Her tear-streaked face searched wildly for hope, finding only one of the demons charging toward her with glee.

Caden’s limbs flared with pain as he scrambled forward. A surge of desperation fueled his limbs as he crawled.

Caden gritted his teeth, adrenaline surging with each desperate step. He was so close now, the demon’s claws outstretched as it closed in.

With a raw shout, Caden threw himself between them, raising his weapon in wild defiance. The blade connected with a sickening crunch, and the demon’s momentum carried it forward, impaling itself farther onto the sword before collapsing in a final, gasping snarl.

Its form vanishing into smoke and dust, the demon’s dying screech echoed one last time. Caden lays still, stunned by the sudden quiet. The girl stared at him, eyes huge with disbelief and something else—a spark of hope. Caden pushed himself up with trembling arms and nodded to her, bewildered but alive.

Her mouth formed silent words, her small voice finally breaking through her shock. “Thank you.”

Caden didn't have time to answer before Ana appeared, dragging him to his feet with a sharp look and a squeeze of his arm that spoke more than words could.

The street was a scene from nightmare—flames licking up wooden walls, the air choked with smoke and screams. Ana caught sight of villagers huddling behind overturned carts, their faces pinched with fear and desperation. Her lip curled in a mix of cynicism and resolve. These people were sitting ducks, she thought, waiting for salvation that would never come if they didn't fight for it themselves.

They were everywhere, Caden realized, demons swarming from every corner of the burning village. The more Ana fought, the more appeared.

Caden stumbled beside her, glancing over his shoulder at the endless wave. Each demon bore Braldak’s marks—black skin, crimson veins pulsing like molten rivers. A quick count in his head brought panic boiling up again. Thirty...no, forty of them! They shouted their name and rage with a single voice, a dreadful unity that sent chills racing through him.

“We’re trapped!” Caden’s voice broke into her thoughts, the raw edge of panic clear.

“Not yet,” Ana growled, her mind racing. Her pulse quickened, and she heard the blood thrumming in her ears. If Braldak thought he had the upper hand, she would make him think again.

Caden faltered again as the onslaught grew fiercer, demons surging with renewed fury. They were nearly overrun, and Ana's combat instincts, though usually sharp, were dulled by the haze of alcohol. She managed to save Caden with a powerful move, albeit with a slight stumble, clearing their path with a strike that sent multiple demons reeling.

Her expertise was wavered, a blur of crimson and steel occasionally stumbling as she wove through the fray. Caden’s swings, though clumsy, were fueled by raw desperation and the refusal to give up.

She could feel Braldak's pride in his numbers, the overconfidence that pulsed through his clones. "Let's put that theory to the test," she muttered darkly, a plan forming swift and sure.

She veered sharply towards Caden, scattering the demons that pursued him with a series of strikes. Her quickened pace and unrelenting attacks drew more of them into pursuit, their snarls growing in intensity as they closed in.

"What are you doing?" Caden gasped as she dragged him forward, her grip like iron on his wrist.

"Changing the odds," Ana replied, ducking under another clawed swipe. She glanced back, a smirk breaking through her concentrated expression.

Braldak’s laugh sent shivers up their spines. "Flee while you can! We hunger for your weakness!"

The horde closed in as the chase covered nearly the length of the village, Ana intent on her strategy. Caden stumbled but managed to keep pace behind her, terror and determination warring on his face.

As they reached an open clearing, Ana planted her foot and jerked to a stop, forcing Caden to halt beside her.

“Ready?” she shouted above the din, eyes locked on their pursuers.

“For what?” Caden yelled back, panic edging his words.

Ana’s grin was feral. “Watch,” she replied and turned to face the demons.

Ana sprinted, her path a dizzying loop around the clearing. The horde gave chase, their focus narrowing on her as the true Braldak stood back, watching his clones close in for the kill. The distance between her and Caden widening.

She pulled ahead with blinding speed, then turned on a pin, throwing one of her blades with all her might towards the original. It spun through the air, a lethal comet heading straight for its target.

The blade struck true, splitting Braldak’s skull with a sickening crack.

In that split second, Caden found himself surrounded. The clones that had been honing in on Ana suddenly shifted focus. “The boy!” they screeched, their voices overlapping in a haunting chorus.

A swarm of Braldaks set upon him, their claws merciless as they knocked him to the ground. He struggled, panic white-hot and blinding as blow after blow landed. Pain flared sharp and consuming; he gasped for air but found none.

Bralduk’s final snarl was cut off as he crumpled to the ground. “Wait— I remember you—you wench…” he rasped, the last word trailing off as his body hit the dirt.

With the original Braldak dead, the clones shuddered and collapsed. The air cleared of ash, leaving silence where chaos reigned mere moments before.

“Got a knack for attracting trouble, don’t you?” Ana asked.

Caden let out a weak groan, struggling to push himself up on shaking limbs. Ana was already there, her grip firm as she pulled him to his feet.

Her eyes caught on the torn fabric and blood showing through at Caden’s chest. His hair hung in his eyes, his face a mess of bruises and dirt. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah,” he wheezed. His voice was shaky but defiant, reflecting the determination burning in his deep brown eyes—a flicker of resolve beneath the vulnerability.

“Then do it,” Ana said with a nod. She released him, her expression softening for an instant before she turned away and surveyed the ruined village.

Caden staggered beside her, his wiry frame trembling as they moved slowly down the street.

“I thought you said you were ready for this,” she said, though her tone carried the slightest undercurrent of... concern?

Caden swayed, his breath raw and labored. “I am. I just—”

“Almost died?” Ana finished for him, eyes narrowing but not unkindly.

He nodded, swallowing hard against the pain that throbbed like fire across his ribs where the demons had struck.

“Hey,” she said, masking a hint of relief. "You alright?"

Caden nodded, still dazed. His chest screamed with pain where the demons had clawed him. “I—yeah,” he managed.

The attack subsided, and the village was eerily quiet, the once-roaring chaos reduced to the distant crackle of dying fires. Ana stood amidst the ruins, bloodied but unbowed. Her presence had pulled them through the nightmare, her strength an unyielding anchor in the storm.

Caden looked at her, breathless and trembling. “How do you—?” he started, but the words failed him. His wide eyes and shaking hands spoke of awe and disbelief, a realization of how far he still had to go.

Ana wiped her blades on her cloak, not meeting his gaze. “Stay away from my path,” she said, but her voice held none of its usual bite. It was a warning, soft and worn, meant to protect more than to scold.

With the demons in retreat and the village in tatters, Ana took a steadying breath, wincing as a headache began to pulse at her temples. Ana sheathed her blades with a resigned sigh, the throbbing in her head a quiet echo of her own uncertain resolve.